Following a protest by China, the Indian Government has pulled up some Air Marshals for making public statement linking the deployment of Su-30 MKI fighters at Tezpur to the Chinese threat. Photo Credit: AndyJune 11, 2009, (Sawf News) - Following a protest by China, the Indian Government has pulled up some Air Marshals for making public statement linking the deployment of Su-30 MKI fighters at Tezpur to the Chinese threat.
IAF Air Marshals in the past have also spoken about how India and Pakistan came close to war following the Mumbai terror strike on 26/11, and about the need to activate our advanced landing grounds to cope with the increasing Chinese infrastructure buildup across the LAC.
So did the Air Marshals really step out of line? I don’t know. What I do know is that I sleep better because of these Air Marshals, one of whom I have had the privilege to fly with in a squadron.
They are amongst the best the IAF has and are still serving in it, despite the millions that they could accumulate working outside, because they are passionate soldiers. They are in the IAF to defend the country not be politically correct. They are certainly not there to appease the Chinese or the Pakistanis.
I know that bit about civilian authority and I respect it, just as these Air Marshals do, perhaps with more vigor than me because they still don their uniforms.
Here are some other thoughts that I have on the issue.
If the Air Marshals were indeed speaking out of turn, why did the government not pull them up on its own? Why did it act at the behest of China?
I said earlier that I sleep better because these Air Marshals are serving. I would sleep even better if our Prime Minister had the courage to go wherever our soldiers go, at least in peace time, like to Twang for example.
Our government is reported to have pulled up the Air Marshals after Chinese officials raised concerns on the sidelines of the Shangri La security dialogue in Singapore from May 29-31.
Lt Gen Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of General Staff, Peoples Liberation Army, asked Indian delegates including Defense Secretary Vijay Singh and Admiral Sureesh Mehta on the reasons for this sabre-rattling by Indian commanders.
I think the correct Indian response would have been to tell the Chinese general that our Air Marshals and Generals don’t talk politics, like they do in China. They react to threats and prepare the country to guard against them.
They should have politely asked the General to ignore any utterances that sound like sabre rattling to the Chinese because a civilian democratically elected government is in charge in India.
Besides, Vijay Singh could have pointed out that the Chinese infrastructure build up in Tibet goes way beyond sabre rattling – It is noose strung around the Indian neck that the Chinese can tighten anytime.
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